Amen specialized in renewable energy research, proposal development, and fostering the role of women in the energy sector. With a strong background in energy systems and technology, she is dedicated to driving sustainable energy solutions and innovations.
Throughout her career, she actively contributed to various projects, focusing on Access to energy, Green energy skills, and Productive uses of energy. Her skills in proposal development have enabled her to secure funding for impactful projects aimed at advancing sustainable energy initiatives.
Amen is an executive committee board member of the Ethiopian Women in Energy (EWiEn) association.
Amen holds MSc in Bio-energy Engineering from the Addis Ababa Science and Technology University in Ethiopia.
The Leader in Me
For a long time, I thought leadership meant choosing one role and hiding the rest. I’m an Energy focused development professional, a researcher, and a new mother, and I believed I had to compartmentalize to be taken seriously. But something in me longed for more wholeness, and more clarity. That longing led me to the Haset Women’s Leadership Program.
At Haset, I was invited to pause to reflect not just on what I do, but on who I am. One of the most powerful shifts came when I encountered the idea of integrated leadership. It wasn’t about becoming someone new. It was about becoming more myself. I learned that leadership is not a performance; it’s a practice. It’s how I show up when no one is watching. It’s how I hold space for others while still honoring myself.
One moment that stays with me is from the wellness session. We were asked to sit in silence, to breathe, to check in with our bodies. It was the first time in a long time I had given myself permission to just be me. In that stillness, I met a version of myself I had been too busy to notice with no pressure.
Haset also helped me reclaim the power of saying no. As women, we are often taught to be everything for everyone. But through this journey, I’ve learned that boundaries are not barriers they are bridges to sustainability. Saying no to what drains me has allowed me to say yes to what truly matters.
I now see leadership as a daily decision. It’s in how I raise my child, how I support my team, how I show up for my community. It’s in the quiet courage to rest, to ask for help, to celebrate others without shrinking myself.
The leader in me is still becoming. She is rooted in purpose, fueled by joy, and guided by integrity. She is not afraid to pause, to pivot, or to begin again. And she knows that leadership is not a title; it’s a way of being.